1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing of a mixture of gas with liquid and/or solid material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known are gravity separation vessels, also referred to as two or three phase separators, for separating mixtures of respectively gas with a liquid or gas with a light and a heavy liquid. As a result of the action of the force of gravity the gas is collected at the top of the gravity separation vessel, while the liquid is collected at the bottom of the vessel, wherein the light liquid remains floating on the heavy liquid. This provides the possibility of separating the mixture.
A device is also known which is constructed from a gravity separation vessel in which one or more inlet devices are arranged. With such inlet devices a pre-treatment can be carried out on the supplied mixture before the mixture is separated in the above described manner. Such inlet devices have as most important functions the reduction of the impact of the inlet flow so that the degree of separation inside the gravity separation vessel can be maximized, preventing liquid shattering whereby small liquid droplets could result which would make the separation process more difficult, and prevention of so-called xe2x80x9cfoamingxe2x80x9d, or the occurrence of foam.
These inlet devices have a number of drawbacks however. A first drawback is that since the liquids and the gases are discharged from different outlets, both outlets can have different pressure drops, with the result that gas can flow out of the liquid outlet and/or liquid out of the gas outlet. A second problem is that the discharge of gas can be obstructed by an increase in the quantity of liquid in the inlet device.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device and method wherein the above stated drawbacks are obviated and wherein the liquid level is situated at a suitable height in the inlet device (processing vessel).
According to a first aspect of the invention a device is provided for separating a mixture of gas with liquid and/or solids, comprising:
a gravity separation vessel which is provided with an inlet for the supply of the mixture;
a processing vessel which can be mounted in the gravity separation vessel and connected to the inlet, which processing vessel comprises a first and second outlet opening for the discharge of respectively a first mixture part and a second mixture part to a space of the gravity separation vessel for further separation of the second mixture part;
a flow body arranged substantially concentrically in the processing vessel and provided with one or more swirl elements for setting the supplied mixture into swirling movement;
a discharge channel for discharging the first mixture part to the first outlet opening, which discharge channel is arranged substantially through the interior of the flow body and extends from the downstream side of the flow body to the first outlet opening;
a resistance element with a predetermined flow resistance arranged between the second outlet opening and the flow body. By setting the supplied mixture into rotation a change in pressure can be realized in the processing vessel with which the pressure balance in the processing vessel can be preadjusted.
A device is per se known from European patent application EU 0436973 A2 wherein a supplied mixture of gas with liquid and/or gas with solids is set into swirling movement in a vessel by a swirl element, which swirling generates centrifugal forces in the mixture whereby a first mixture part consisting substantially of liquid or solids is pressed against the wall of the processing vessel, while a second mixture part consisting substantially of gas moves to the middle of the processing vessel. The second mixture part is discharged in the known device via a discharge pipe at the top of the vessel, while the second mixture part is discharged via a discharge pipe at the bottom of the vessel. The known device is however of an entirely different type and is not suitable for carrying out a pretreatment in a gravity separation vessel in which the mixture parts, once they have been discharged, remain in open connection in (a space of) the gravity separation vessel for the purpose of a further treatment.
According to a preferred embodiment the device comprises one or more first counter-swirl elements arranged in the discharge channel for reducing the swirling movement of the first mixture part, downstream of which the first outlet opening is arranged. By arranging a counter-swirl element in the discharge channel to reduce the swirling movement of the first mixture part, the pressure drop over the discharge channel is decreased whereby the discharge of the first mixture part through the discharge channel is improved. This moreover prevents the first mixture part being entrained by the second mixture part and exiting to the outside through the second outlet opening.
According to a further preferred embodiment the resistance element comprises one or more second counter-swirl elements for reducing the swirling movement of the second mixture part. The pressure balance, and therewith the height of the second mixture part (liquid) in the processing vessel, can be further adjusted with the second counter-swirl element.
According to another aspect of the invention a device is provided for separating a mixture of gas with liquid and/or solids, comprising:
a gravity separation vessel which is provided with an inlet for the supply of the mixture;
a processing vessel which can be mounted in the gravity separation vessel and connected to the inlet, which processing vessel comprises a first and second outlet opening for the discharge of respectively a first mixture part and a second mixture part to a space of the gravity separation vessel for further separation of the second mixture part;
a flow body arranged in the longitudinal direction of the processing vessel;
a discharge channel for discharging the first mixture part which is arranged substantially through the interior of the flow body and extends from the downstream side of the flow body to the first outlet opening;
a resistance element with a predetermined flow resistance which is arranged between the second outlet opening and the flow body, wherein the resistance element comprises one or more counter-swirl elements. Using a resistance element embodied in such a manner the pressure in the processing vessel can be preadjusted to a value which is appropriate under the conditions of use by a correct placing and dimensioning of the plates and the orientation thereof relative to each other.
The device preferably comprises one or more first counter-swirl elements arranged in the discharge channel for reducing the swirling movement of the first mixture part, downstream of which the first outlet opening is arranged.
According to yet another aspect of the invention a device is provided for separating a mixture of gas with liquid and/or solids, comprising:
a gravity separation vessel which is provided with an inlet for the supply of the mixture;
a processing vessel which can be mounted in the gravity separation vessel and connected to the inlet, which processing vessel comprises a first and second outlet opening for the discharge of respectively a first mixture part and a second mixture part to a space of the gravity separation vessel for further separation of the second mixture part;
a flow body arranged in the longitudinal direction of the processing vessel;
a discharge channel for discharging the first mixture part arranged substantially through the interior of the flow body and extending from the downstream side of the flow body to the first outlet opening;
one or more first counter-swirl elements arranged in the discharge channel for reducing the swirling movement of the, first mixture part, downstream of which the first outlet opening is arranged;
a resistance element with a predetermined flow resistance arranged between the second outlet opening and the flow body.
According to a preferred embodiment a swirl element comprises one or more preferably curved swirling blades, wherein the swirling blades are formed for setting into swirling movement or at least increasing the swirling movement of the mixture or mixture part flowing therealong, while a counter-element preferably comprises one or more preferably curved swirling blades, wherein the swirling blades are formed for decreasing the swirling movement of the mixture or mixture part flowing therealong. Through a correct choice of the curvature the swirling speed of the mixture flowing therealong, and therewith the pressure drop over the swirl element, can be modified.
It is noted that this curvature can vary. When for instance the curvature of a swirling blade increases in flow direction, the mixture flowing therealong will then undergo an increasingly more rapid swirling movement. Conversely, a mixture flowing along a swirling blade with decreasing curvature undergoes an increasingly slower swirling movement.
According to a further preferred embodiment the processing vessel comprises an inner jacket which comprises a conically tapering part in flow direction, in order to obtain a uniform flow of the first mixture part along the inner jacket.
According to a further preferred embodiment the components of the processing vessel are embodied such that they can be fed through a manhole in the gravity separation vessel. The greatest dimension of a component is herein a maximum of 150 cm. By constructing the processing vessel from such relatively small components it is possible to arrange the processing vessel in already existing gravity separators.
According to a further aspect of the present invention a method is provided for designing, a separation vessel for separating a mixture into a light and heavy fraction, wherein the processing vessel comprises an inlet for the mixture, a first outlet for the light fraction and a second outlet for the heavy fraction, in addition to rotation means for setting the mixture into rotation, wherein swirl elements arranged close to the inlet and/or counter-swirl elements arranged close to the first and second outlet are provided with swirling blades dimensioned such that through the desired degree of rotation a pressure is available in the separation vessel for separating the mixture in as optimal a manner as possible.
By designing the rotation means or the counter-rotation means in correct manner in accordance with fluid dynamic principles the desired rotation of the mixture as well as the desired pressure drop over such a separation vessel can be preselected in accordance with the conditions, since the boundary surface between the heavy and light fraction extends in as optimal a manner as possible in the separation vessel.